11 replies to this topic

[bdi_research]

I need to do both a Yahoo! and an Open Directory submission for a site. The site is bilingual. Does anyone have suggestions or experience on how to best proceed?

Many thanks.

[smc_online]

This is right up my alley! Lucky for you, the site is already bi-lingual and that's a big load of work that is already accomplished.

The best is always to submit in the foreign language you are targeting.

Let's use Google Nicaragua (http://www.google.com.ni/) as an example (that's where I was born) to find hotels in a resort area called Montelimar using both an English and Spanish version of the keyword phrase.

In Spanish the search phrase would be: "hoteles en montelimar"
In English the search phrase would be: "montelimar hotels"

If the same hotel is to appear in the same top spots of the SERPs, then they must optimize for both keyword phrases using the appropriate language site. If the hotel only optimizes for one language (in this example Spanish) then they loose potential and valuable English speaking visitors.

To see what I mean, try the search with the terms provided yourself (do the search in Spanish first!) and see what happens to the web site interhotel.com/nicaragua. They appear in the #2 spot in the Spanish SERPs and drop off the first 3 pages on the English SERPs.

[bdi_research]

Already on top of that Page copy, alt tags, title tags, etc. has been optimized on both versions -French and English. So now it's time for directory submission (the client is already in the search engines, but not in Yahoo! or DMOZ. They're willingly to pay for Yahoo!. I just wanted to know if anybody out there has much experience on submitting bilingual sites to either directory, and if so, how to best proceed--especially on DMOZ. Should I submit the site in multiple categories due to the language factor?

I realize that with directory submissions it is vital to get it right the first time, so I want to do this right.

Thanks!

[smc_online]

Should I submit the site in multiple categories due to the language factor? 

That's a definate yes!

Just to be sure we are on the same page...you mean will submit to multiple *applicable language* categories.

[bdi_research]

Of course! No French Submissions under Russian

[OldWelshGuy]

My understanding is you can submit many sites twice to ODp, one generic & one regional so if you have a site on knitting with mouse hair in canada it could be submitted to the handicraft & area of Canada sections provided the content is relevant to Canada.

Someone slap my wrist if i am wrong please!

[daniel]

It's also possible to get a site into Yahoo! through submission to a local Yahoo! directory. Some of these are free of charge, and the site will be listed in both the regionalised version and the global Yahoo! directory.

I don't know how many regional Yahoos take free submissions, but we recently submitted a site that was related to both the UK and the Philippines to Yahoo Asia - and the site was listed within a week, for no charge.

The site must have a direct and obvious reason to be submitted to the regional Yahoo directory, but if you have that link, then you are laughing.

[compar]

My understanding is you can submit many sites twice to ODp, one generic & one regional so if you have a site on knitting with mouse hair in canada it could be submitted to the handicraft & area of Canada sections provided the content is relevant to Canada.

Someone slap my wrist if i am wrong please!

Nobody knits mouse hair in Canada. That must be a Welsh thing.

Now Beaver Tail Quilting, that an entirely different matter.

[bdi_research]

That's a good idea, Daniel. The site for this project is for rental of upscale properties here in our country, but the targeted clients are from abroad. Nothing on the site specifically targets a certain country, but there are certain countries where most of their business comes from.

In anyone's experience, would it be a stretch then to get this accepted via one of the free Yahoo directories (like Yahoo! Singapore)?

[daniel]

Not sure. You can always try - the worst they can say is no!!

I think you might need to have an office there, or have a product or service aimed specifically at that market.

Make sure you tell us how you get on.

[raymondberthier]

I don't know how many regional Yahoos take free submissions, but we recently submitted a site that was related to both the UK and the Philippines to Yahoo Asia - and the site was listed within a week, for no charge.

Hello there,
Unfortunately, Yahoo France only accepts non-commercial sites for the free submission.. and it takes ages

[bdi_research]

Here's how the Yahoo story ends -

I sent my question off to Yahoo! themselves, and they responded (thank you, Yahoo!) :

Yahoo! told me that the site was NOT more likely to be rejected by Yahoo UK compared to Yahoo.com. This was in response to my letter below explaining the specific conditions for my submission:

"I want to submit a commericaial .com site to Yahoo UK, but am unsure if I am supposed to submit it to Yahoo UK or Yahoo.com. The site has an English version and meets all the listed UK submission guidelines. However, the site has to do with a vacation rentals company in COUNTRY X. The business is not located in the UK. The site doesn't specifically mention the UK, but more clients for the business come from the UK than from the US. Which Yahoo directory is more appropriate?
Don't want to pay for an express submission to the wrong directory."

And the story has a happy ending The submission WAS accepted by Yahoo UK.

So there is my experience. I hope it can be useful to others facing the same choice.